Lee Hyun-jae, the People Power Party candidate for Hanam mayor, appealed for support on Sunday, urging voters to "choose the right person for Hanam's development." He focused on differentiating himself from his rival by presenting the achievements of his elected term and his vision for the next four years.
Holding a press conference at his campaign headquarters that day, Lee stressed, "Hanam does not have a single day to spare for trial and error," adding, "We need a mayor who can start working the day after being elected." He also warned, "If the mayor changes, every project may run aground and regress."
Citing the achievements of his term, Lee pointed to recognition as "Korea's top city for civil administration services," ranking "7th among the most livable cities in the metropolitan area," and a "citizen satisfaction rate of 92.7%," giving himself credit for having "transformed Hanam through administrative reform." He continued, "After taking office as Hanam mayor, I launched administrative reforms and changed Hanam," but added, "Still, it is not enough. There remains much to do."
Targeting Kang Byung-deok, the Democratic Party candidate, Lee delivered sharp criticism: "He is a candidate who skipped the education policy debate, notified his absence from the Gamil residents' debate just three minutes beforehand, and walked out of the Misa federation meeting after only voicing complaints." He asked, "Can we entrust our lives to a candidate who gives irrelevant answers about local issues at the official debate?"
He continued, "Can a candidate who only emphasizes the Democratic Party's 'one team' without any policies or vision deliver Hanam's development?" and criticized that his rival "is making citizens frown with negative campaigning in the final stretch of the election."
For his vision over the next four years, Lee presented the "completion of the Five-Rail Era," including △a separate opening of Line 9 between Gangil and Misa △early opening of Line 3 △routing of GTX-D through Hwangsan △extension of the Wirye-Sinsa Line to Hanam. He also pledged to attract 10 trillion won in investment by 2030, usher in a "50 million won GRDP era," and have 1,000 students admitted to major universities.
In welfare, he promised a 2 million won childbirth incentive for the first child, support for ETF stock-type accounts, free flu vaccinations for all ages, and up to 300,000 won in transportation subsidies for senior citizens.
"My more than 40 years of public service experience, including two terms as a National Assembly member, head of the Small and Medium Business Administration, and secretary of the Presidential Transition Committee, cannot be compared to an administrative novice," Lee said. "We cannot entrust Hanam's golden time to an amateur beginner."
Former party leader Kim Chong-in attended the press conference and stressed, "This election is not about choosing a politician, but about electing someone who looks after the daily conveniences of Hanam citizens," adding, "I believe the election of candidate Lee will enhance the living convenience of Hanam citizens and raise the value of Hanam." He urged voters, "Please go to the polls on the 3rd and elect candidate Lee Hyun-jae, who knows Hanam best and can lead it forward."
